O Christmas Tree
by sisterthemoon
Summary: Written for LJ labyfic's Winterfest. Sarah comes home from work on Christmas Eve to find a mysterious Christmas tree in her living room...


_AN: Written for Winterfest on Livejournal's labyfic community. Most of the ornaments are real, links can be provided by PM, only because putting them in here is a pain. :) I know Amy Brown's art is fairly recent, so if we're following on the movie's timeline, there's no way that Sarah, late 20s/early 30s, would be receiving a Christmas ornament based on her artwork, since it wouldn't have been released by then, but I couldn't resist. Thanks and acknowledgment are also due SVM writer ericizmine-the idea with the ornaments was heavily inspired by the pumpkins in her piece 'Where You Keep Them.'_

_Labyrinth belongs to Jim Henson._

* * *

There was a Christmas tree in her living room when Sarah came home from work. She froze, keys in hand, purse dangling from her elbow, coat halfway removed, and simply stared at the four foot evergreen, devoid of any decorations, but surrounded with her grandmother's quilted tree skirt. It was in season-already Christmas Eve, the tree at home (and the house) would have been decorated just after Thanksgiving, but she hadn't had time to set up her own, and why bother, when she lived alone? Home, she thought with a pang and a sigh, briefly distracted away from the tree's strange and unexpected appearance.

After casting a wary glance toward the tree, she turned away, setting purse and keys on the table by the door, and hung her coat in the closet. She froze again as the closet door swung closed-now, not only was there a tree in her living room that she had no hand in putting up, but lights had been strung on it as well. She recognized them as her own, frosted multi-colored bulbs that glowed with a soft but solid light. "I need a drink," she muttered to herself, tired feet taking her toward the kitchen.

The mystery of the tree kept her from lingering too long in the kitchen; glass of wine in hand, she made her way back to her living room, eyes half closed as she anticipated another spontaneous addition to the decor in her absence. When she saw that nothing else had been added to the tree, she sighed in relief and slowly stepped closer, glass of wine in hand. "Now where did you come from?" Sarah asked lowly, brow furrowed. Her living room was already being filled by the tree's scent, but there was a hint of something else, too-something wild and untamed, something a bit like magic.

Her mind stuttered briefly over the 'magic' word and she took a hefty sip of wine, shaking her head. "Impossible," she murmured to herself, but her attention was caught next by the appearance of a brightly wrapped package under the tree. "Wait...you weren't there before, were you?" Sarah made a disgusted noise and shook her head. "Great," she grumped, as she set the wine glass aside and reached for the box, "now I'm talking to trees AND boxes. Maybe I need more than a drink."

Long dormant childhood habits made her give the box a small shake when it was safely cradled in her hands, but it gave no hints at what might be within. 'Open me, Sarah,' the tag advised in unknown handwriting; brow furrowed, Sarah perched on the edge of her couch and studied the sparkling sapphire paper for a moment before she shrugged and set about doing as the tag directed. The lovely blue paper was carefully removed, folded, and set aside, before she turned her attention to the box. Within rested a brass and porcelain ornament-a fairy caught mid-flight, with cobalt wings in a light blue silk dress, poised for mischief. She recognized the artist as Amy Brown, but Sarah knew better than to think that all fairies were so lovely and sweet.

"I thought fairies did nice things...like granting wishes!" her own voice penetrated through her memory as she held the ornament up to the light. Hoggle's voice echoed through next, and she whispered the words along with him. "Shows what you know."

Suddenly, she knew exactly where the tree was from, how it had suddenly appeared in her living room, and why she couldn't quite shake the idea that there was a hint of magic in the air.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to say his name, or even to call upon her friends-instead, she grabbed for her wine and took a long sip, then carefully hung the pretty blue fairy ornament on her new-found tree. This time, when she went to the kitchen, she brought the wine bottle along with her when she came back. When she looked underneath the tree, she was unsurprised to find another package waiting for her. This one was in a pretty bag covered in pink roses, tied at the top with a large silvery bow.

Nestled in the tissue paper within was a ceramic tea cup and saucer ornament, patterned in old country roses in various shades of pink and white. Closing her eyes briefly, she could see the worm before her, and his encouraging, "Come inside, have a nice cup of tea!"

And so it went: after she hung each ornament, another package magically appeared beneath the tree, each one commemorating some moment of her journey, which played out in her memory as she opened each package.

The face of a thirteen-hour clock, the Roman numerals in stark black against a bright white background: "You have thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth..."

A gothic gargoyle ornament, slightly different than the versions in the Labyrinth, with the knocker held in its hands, which prompted a laugh from Sarah. "Knock...and the door will open..."

In a bright red package, a surprisingly detailed likeness of a Firey, which looked real enough that she was almost surprised it didn't start singing as she carefully placed it upon the tree. "Why you goin' around with a head like that!"

Alf and Ralf, one half of the riddling pair, with the cord strung from the middle of the ornament's back, so either one of them could be the 'top dog.' "One of us always tells the truth, and one of us always lies..."

Sarah paused before opening the next gift, sitting on the edge of her couch, lost in thought as she absently sipped at her wine and gazed upon the tree. She kept coming back to just one question: Why? Why would he be doing this now, some fifteen years after the fact, when she hadn't heard a single thing from him in all the intervening years? It had been nearly that long since the last time she'd thought about the Labyrinth and her friends, and her adult brain had started to dismiss the notion that it had even happened.

But perhaps that itself was the reason, she mused, dropping her eyes briefly to the deep red Cabernet in her glass. Perhaps it was *because* it had been so long. 'Maybe he's tired of waiting for you to come to him,' a voice in her mind whispered, but the Logical Sarah in her head scoffed at that. 'Why would he be waiting around for me?'

Sarah was startled out of her musings by a rustle from the tree, but by the time she looked up, all movement had stilled, if there had been any in the first place. Carefully, she picked up the next package, a small, flat box wrapped in russet paper, reminding her of the color of Ludo's fur. "Sarah and Ludo friends..." Her eyes filled as she unwrapped the package, and overflowed when she saw the ornament inside. This one was a beautifully rendered painting in miniature, Ludo flanked by Didymus and Hoggle, all three of them looking out at the artist with bright smiles, as if posing.

She ran her fingers over the mini-portrait's surface delicately, careful to keep it away from the slow drip of tears down her chin. "Oh, I miss you," she murmured, rising slowly to her feet. Though she'd placed the rest of the ornaments randomly, this one took longer, but she was finally happy with a small gap in the branches and lights that framed the small painting to its best advantage. "Perfect."

Wiping her eyes, Sarah was already so accustomed to the appearance of the next gift that she was slightly surprised to find the space under the tree was empty. There was much of her journey that hadn't been covered, after all-the peach, the ball, and the King himself, none of these were represented. Still, a smile curved her lips as she stepped back; reclaiming her glass of wine, she looked over the tree and its unexpected gifts. "Thank you," she murmured to whoever might be listening-she knew that someone had to be, the delivery of each ornament was far too timely.

On her way out of the room, she dimmed the lights, leaving the tree illuminated as she went about the remainder of her evening. After a quick, solitary meal, and her evening ablutions, she returned to the living room, wrapped snugly in a fleece robe and a warm pair of slippers, a blanket folded in her arms. Under the tree rested another package, this one wrapped simply, with no embellishment. Dimly, as she unwrapped the latest gift, she heard the clock on the mantle sound the midnight hour-or did it chime a thirteenth time?

Inside the box, wrapped in a substance that felt like tissue paper, were two separate ornaments. Here, at last, was the peach, but rather than a fruit, it was a stunning work in folded and quilled paper, forming a peach colored rose. It looked so real, the lack of scent surprised her, and she sat staring at it for several moments before remembering the second bundle included in the package. Unwrapping the midnight blue tissue paper, she found nestled within another work of art in paper: a white owl, with tiny glimmering jewels for eyes. "Oh...oh, Jareth," Sarah whispered, cradling the owl and the rose in her hands.

The scent of magic in the air intensified, a soft breeze blew across her face, and from behind her, she heard him. "Sarah..."

* * *

_Reviews are always welcome!_


End file.
